Most hallowed greetings, Decibel readers!
We’ve got the ideal soundtrack for your ghouls night out, with the latest from a series of legends from across the metal world. It was easy pickings this week with the latest from Swedish and Norwegian black metal royalty, the kings of epic doom metal, and one of the pillars of modern metalcore. There’s also an especially fiery and brutal release at the end from a contemporary death metal master.
Happy Halloween!
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Shamaatae returns! A voice from ancient times awakens once again as Arckanum brings us its long-awaited followup to 2017’s Den förstfödde. Fittingly, you’ll have to actually wait till tomorrow for the full release. But I wanted to make sure you had it bookmarked.
Stream: Apple Music
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There’s something really inspiring about a band that can come back after so many years away and then return with a second wind that rivals their original run. The fact Robert and Tim are both 70 years old and are still able to go this hard is the ultimate statement of “What’s your excuse?” Backing up these veterans is of course their Night Demon brethren Armand and Jarvis, who bring all the muscular riff-work this style requires.
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Decibel is of course always happy to see what the guys in Darkest Hour are up to, having covered them since their 2000s heyday into their recent career Renaissance that kicked off with Godless Prophets & the Migrant Flora. In a metal landscape that’s recently been flooded with legions of 2000s metalcore retreads so obviously aping the MySpace-era aesthetic, Suffer Divine is a welcome reminder of the real deal. Although guitarist Mike Schleibaum has always been fantastic on the fretboard, he and Nico Santora shine particularly brightly on this grimly triumphant album.
Stream: Apple Music
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I really like this new Enslaved album. In fact, I think I like it more than anything I’ve heard from them since 2012’s Riitiir. I like how the album is divided into a more straightforward black metal first half and then a more epic and progressive second half. Granted, this means most of my favorite material is stacked at the front, but I like to think of the latter half as the interesting reflection that comes after the storm. What matters is that Enslaved remains an indispensable part of today’s metal world.
Stream: Apple Music
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As I said when we premiered “Third Degree Warfare:”
“If you want to hear something that embodies sheer ferocity and power, it’s hard to beat a sound like this. Nothing needs to be innovated, reimagined, or reinvented here. All you need is dedication, good writing, and the right guitar tones.”
The whole album burns with the power of a raging volcano. Listen to it, loud.
The post Five For Friday: October 30, 2026 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.
